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Seicho-No-Ie (Japanese:生長の家,Hepburn:Seichō-no-Ie; "House of Growth") is asyncretic,monotheistic,New ThoughtJapanese new religion that has spread since theend of World War II in Asia. It emphasizes gratitude for nature, the family, ancestors and, above all, religious faith in one universalGod. Seichō no Ie is the world's largest New Thought group.[1] By the end of 2010 it had over 1.6 million followers and 442 facilities, mostly located in Japan, Brazil, and the United States.[2][3]
In 1930,Masaharu Taniguchi, working as an English translator, published the first issue of what he called his "non-denominationaltruth movement magazine", which he namedSeichō no Ie to help teach others of his beliefs. This was followed by forty volumes of his "Truth of Life" philosophy by 1932. Over the next forty years, he published an additional four hundred–odd books and toured many countries inEurope,South America, andNorth America with his wife Teruko, to lecture on his beliefs personally.Ernest Holmes, founder ofReligious Science, and his brotherFenwicke were of great assistance to Taniguchi. Fenwicke traveled to Japan and co-authored several books, with one calledThe Science of Faith becoming a cornerstone of the denomination.[4]
Taniguchi died in a Nagasaki hospital on June 17, 1985, at the age of 91.[5] Today the president of Seichō no Ie isMasanobu Taniguchi [ja] (谷口雅宣).
In the 2000s, the Seicho-No-Ie Fundamental Movement (生長の家本流運動) seceded from the headquarters. As of 2017, there are three factions of the original movement. The two largest factions are led by Masanobu Taniguchi, the president of Seichō no Ie; a group of elder teachers of Seichō no Ie known as Manabushi leads the other faction.
The four holy sūtras (聖経,seikyō) of Seicho-No-Ie are:[6]
Nectarean Shower of Holy Doctrines (甘露の法雨,Kanro no Hōu).[7] Taniguchi Masaharu claimed that it was divinely revealed to him byKannon on December 1, 1930. There are eight sections: God (神), Spirit (霊), Matter (物質), Reality (実在), Wisdom (智慧), Delusion (無明), Sin (罪), and Man (人間). Similar to manyNichiren sects' views of theLotus Sutra, this sutra is treated as aprotective amulet that can be carried, read, or copied for protective benefits. InUji, Kyoto, there is a hall for followers to copy the sutra.
Song of the Angel (天使の言葉,Tenshi no Kotoba): consists of the Divine Messages of Eternal Life and the Holy Sutra itself (two sections: Song of the Angel and Song of Eternal Life)
Truth of Life (生命の實相,Seimei no jissō), which consists of 40 volumes (main edition, 頭注版) published since 1932; this is the religion's most important doctrinal text. There is also an abridged edition (愛蔵版) with 20 volumes.
The Truth (真理,Shinri), which consists of 11 volumes, was initially published from 1954 to 1958. It summaries key doctrines mentioned in theTruth of Life.
Seicho-No-Ie publishes a newspaper calledSeishimei "聖使命, Sacred Mission"). It also publishes three magazines:[3]
Inochi no wa (いのちの環, "Circle of Life") for general readers
Seicho-No-Ie is a syncretic religion that incorporates concepts and terminology from Buddhism, Christianity, and other religions. The religion teaches belief in the "single absolute divinity" (唯一絶対の神,yuiitsu zettai no kami). One of their proverbs is "Be grateful for everything in the world" (天地の万物に感謝せよ,tenchi no manbutsu ni kansha seyo).[3] Seicho-No-Ie's other basic teachings are:[8]
"Only God is reality" (唯神実相,yuishin jissō)
"Only the mind affects phenomena" (唯心所現,yuishin shogen) (a key tenet ofNew Thought denominations)
"All religions are one" (万教帰一,bankyō kītsu)
The Seven Promulgations of Light (七つの燈臺) is one of the main doctrines of Seicho-No-Ie.[9] At Seicho-No-Ie's Sōhonzan head temple inSaikai, Nagasaki, there are sevenstone lanterns representing the Seven Promulgations of Light.[10]
Shinsōkan meditation originates from a type of meditative technique calledchinkon kishin (鎮魂帰神), which was widely practiced in theOomoto religion from 1916 to 1921.[14][15]
Higher educational institutions include Seichō no Ie Yōshin Joshi Gakuen (生長の家養心女子学園), a tertiary young women's boarding school inYamanashi Prefecture that was founded in 1954.[3]
The Office in the Forest (森の中のオフィス,Mori no naka no ofisu) is Seicho-No-Ie's international administrative headquarters, located inHokuto, Yamanashi nearKai-Ōizumi Station at the foot ofMount Aka.
Sōhonzan (生長の家総本山), Seicho-No-Ie's spiritual headquarters inSaikai, Nagasaki, hosts Ryūgū Sumiyoshi Hongū (龍宮住吉本宮), the religion's head temple where ancestral rites are performed. Established on November 21, 1978, the temple enshrines Sumiyoshi Daijin (住吉大神) and other Shintokami. Prominent members of the Taniguchi family, includingMasaharu Taniguchi, are buried at Sōhonzan. Sōhonzan has a garden, museum, and seven largestone lanterns representing the Seven Promulgations of Light (七つの燈臺).[17]
Uji Bekkaku Honzan (宇治別格本山), a special head temple (or additional main temple) inUji, Kyoto. It is located just to the southeast ofByōdō-in, within walking distance. Hōzō Shrine (宝蔵神社,Hōzo Jinja) is located inside the temple complex. Every August, the Memorial Festival (盂蘭盆供養大祭,Urabon kuyō taisai) (annual ancestor ceremony) is held at this temple.
^"Masaharu Taniguchi." Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.
Clarke, Peter B. (ed.),A Bibliography of Japanese New Religious Movements: With Annotations and an Introduction to Japanese New Religions at Home and Abroad - Plus an Appendix on Aum Shinrikyo. Surrey, UK: Japan Library/Curzon, 1999.ISBN1-873410-80-8.
Clarke, Peter B. (ed.).Japanese New Religions: In Global Perspective. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press, 2000.ISBN0-7007-1185-6.
Gottlieb, Nanette, and Mark McLelland (eds.).Japanese Cybercultures. London; New York: Routledge, 2003.ISBN0-415-27918-6,ISBN0-415-27919-4.
"Masaharu Taniguchi".Religious Leaders of America, 2nd ed. Gale Group, 1999. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2008.
Japan
United States:Gardena, California (US headquarters);Manhattan, New York;North Miami Beach;Fort Lauderdale; Denver; Seattle; Honolulu.[18] In Florida, Seicho-No-Ie members are mainly from the Brazilian community.
Canada:Toronto andVancouver
Brazil:Jabaquara,São Paulo (Brazil and Latin America headquarters)
Germany:Frankfurt
Taiwan:Taipei
Hong Kong
